


One Night Off

by LumiOlivier



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Drinking, Male-Female Friendship, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22722340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LumiOlivier/pseuds/LumiOlivier
Summary: Vanderwood needs to blow off some steam, but there's no way he'd say yes if Seven offered him a night off.  He might respond better if MC asks nicely.
Relationships: Vanderwood/Main Character (Mystic Messenger)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 73





	One Night Off

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bbabyfface](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbabyfface/gifts).



> Hi, internet!  
> I know what you're thinking. Lumi, you've already posted today. What the hell? But like the last random one-shot I uploaded, this was a reward for someone guessing my favorite line in a chapter and that someone was in need of some Vanderwood, so here's the first one I owe you, bbabyfface. I hope I do him justice for you. <3

After a long day of dealing with petty, nonsensical running orders from his boss, Vanderwood only wanted one thing: A day off. He had more than earned it. And his boss was more than happy to give him one. Besides, that meant a whole day of Seven being able to goof off entirely without Vanderwood nagging him about “personal safety” and “laws of physics” and “legality” and “morality” and “Yoosung saying no”. After protecting Seven from himself, Vanderwood was taking a day off whether Seven wanted him to or not.

However, Vanderwood had a hard time taking time off. His work ethic would be the death of him. It had gotten to be quitting time for Vanderwood and Seven knew there was no way in hell he’d be able to get Vanderwood off his back for a day without a fight. Although, he knew one person with this incredible superpower. It didn’t matter what this particular person asked. Vanderwood could never say no. But Seven couldn’t blame him. Everyone he knew was like that with her.

“Seven,” MC chimed from the front door, “Permission to come aboard?”

“Permission completely unnecessary!” Seven allowed her entrance, hugging her tight, “How have you been, MC? It feels like ages since I last saw you.”

“I was just here yesterday,” she pointed out, “You got your hand stuck in a jar of pickles and called me crying.”

“Saeran wouldn’t help me!” he defended, “He was too busy taking pictures!”

“I know,” MC threw herself into Seven’s couch, “So, what’s up? What’s the occasion you call me over this time? You don’t have any body parts stuck in unconventional places. You seem to be in good spirits. I don’t think I have to talk you down from the ledge…Right?”

“It’s actually a much more covert operation,” Seven kept his voice down, knowing that Vanderwood had some of the sharpest hearing he had ever seen. Aside from V’s, “I need some help with something very special.”

“Jesus Christ, Seven,” she backed away, “If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that line, I’d be loaded. I’m not checking to see if you have a rash or if anything is infected.”

“No, no, no!” he clarified, “It’s not that! Promise! Cross my heart and everything!”

“Alright,” MC wasn’t sure where Seven was going with this, but she knew she could trust him, “So, what’s going on?”

“I have to give Vanderwood a day off,” Seven whispered, “I know damn well he’s not going to say yes if I ask him, so I had a brilliant idea!”

“And that involves me asking him,” MC picked things up quick. Or Seven had just become predictable to her. She giggled at the notion. He could never be predictable to her. It was impossible. 

“You’re so smart, MC,” he gushed, “Where did you learn to be so smart?”

“I didn’t want to be stupid,” she shrugged, “So, I decided to be smart. So, you invited me over just to tell Vanderwood to take a day off?”

“But be clever about it,” Seven suggested, “Because you know as well as I do. If you tell Vanderwood to take a day off, he’ll just give an excuse as to why he can’t do that. But! Here’s where my brilliance kicks in! Are you ready for it?”

“Will I ever truly be ready for it?”

“I thought,” he went on, “If you invited Vanderwood out, say, tonight, there’s no way he could say no to that cute, little face of yours. He’s too soft for you.”

“So,” MC thought it over, “Let me get this straight. Are you trying to set me up on a date with Vanderwood?”

“What?” Seven took a minute to process what just came out of his mouth. Something he should do more often, probably before it comes out of his mouth, but forces beyond his control digress.

“I’ll start from the beginning,” she explained, “You want Vanderwood to take a day off.”

“Right,” he nodded.

“In order to do that, I have to ask him.”

“Yeah.”

“But to ask him outright would be silliness.”

“Precisely.”

“So, I need to invite him somewhere.”

“That’s right.”

“In simplest terms, Seven,” MC topped it all off, “You’re trying to get me to go on a date with Vanderwood.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Seven ran it through his head, the motherboard short circuiting, “But it sounds like it. You can do that, right, MC?”

“You’re asking me to be a sherpa to your assistant!” she glared a hole through him.

“Not totally,” he hushed her, “And he can hear you. That’s why we can’t be too loud. Ok?”

“You do realize this is ridiculous,” MC grumbled, “Right?”

“Yes,” Seven winced, “And I know I’m asking a huge favor, but please? If he doesn’t take at least a night off, he’s going to fizzle out and I can’t have him doing that. Please, MC? Please, please, please, please?”

“Alright, you spazz,” she smiled a little, “You’re lucky I like Vanderwood, too.”

“Yes!” he squeaked, hugging her tight, “Thank you, MC! I owe you big time.”

“You’re welcome,” MC kissed his cheek, “Where is he now?”

“Kitchen,” Seven directed her, “I think he was doing the dishes last I saw him.”

“Does he have any idea I came over today?”

“I don’t think so,” he figured, looking MC over. Her low cut, striped shirt, her short black skirt, and her knee-high socks caught his attention, “Excellent outfit choice for today, MC.”

“Thank you?” MC gave him a look, “Care to tell me why?”

“Nope,” Seven gave her a heavy-handed shove toward the kitchen, “Get in there, tiger. Make me proud!”

_It’s totally not because Vanderwood’s a sucker for a pretty face and a short skirt. Definitely not that._ Seven’s devious plan had been set into motion the second MC set foot through his front door and he couldn’t be prouder. Mostly of himself for being such a genius, but he also harbored a little disappointment for not thinking about it sooner. _And if you do say yes, Vanderwood…There’s no if about it. You will say yes. I just hope you know how lucky you’re going to be tonight. What if it goes too well? What if MC tells me Vanderwood’s already proposed and they’re going to move away to live on a commune in Alaska?! No. She wouldn’t do that. Neither one of them would._

MC didn’t know very much about Vanderwood outside of him being Seven’s assistant, so the thought of learning more tickled her inside. However, that also made it difficult to figure something out for her to invite him to. _Dinner is such a cliché, but dammit, if it didn’t work. There’s a reason why clichés are the way they are._ MC shook off any doubt she may have had and took a seat at the island, wondering how long it would take for Vanderwood to take notice.

Unfortunately, he was buried in Seven’s dishes with blinders on. Which wasn’t exactly an uncommon thing in the middle of the afternoon. All of the dishes from breakfast and lunch had piled up while Vanderwood was taking care of all the other cleaning that needed to be done. And with the recent addition of Saeran to Seven’s household, the messes only got worse. He could handle it, though. Vanderwood was nothing if not resilient.

“Hi, Vanderwood,” MC took matters into her own hands.

“Hi, MC,” Vanderwood didn’t even break his concentration. He had one job to do at the moment and he’d be damned if he didn’t do it.

“How are you?”

“Fine…”

_How the hell am I supposed to reach this guy? He’s harder to read than ancient Greek. I guess I’ll just have to be crafty,_ “Do you need some help?”

“I got it,” Vanderwood brushed her off, “Thank you.”

_Dammit. I thought that might have worked._ MC was still determined, though. Where Vanderwood had his work ethic, MC had her tenacity, “Hey, Vanderwood, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” he allowed, “What is it?”

MC took in a deep breath. _Time to pull the trigger,_ “Are you busy tonight?”

“I’m busy every night,” Vanderwood pointed out, finally getting around to putting the dishes away.

“But,” she turned the charm up. Just a little, “I was wondering if you wanted to come out with me tonight.”

“Really?” That caught his attention. _Why would MC be asking me to come out with her? Not that I mind._ He put down Seven’s favorite coffee mug and turned his attention to the cute girl at the counter. _Oh, shit…_

“If it’s not too much trouble,” MC played with a stray lock of her hair, “I kind of wanted to go out for a drink, but I don’t want to drink by myself. Seven doesn’t drink. I can’t handle Jaehee drunk anymore. Jumin’s a crier. Yoosung’s too young. And if I don’t have to deal with Zen hitting on me while he’s been drinking, I’ll be a happy girl.”

_So, she’s asking me as a last resort. That’s fine. If it’s nothing else, I’d be more of her security detail than anything,_ “Sure, MC. We can go out tonight.”

“Ok,” she flashed him a sweet smile that turned Vanderwood’s heart into a puddle, “How does seven o'clock sound?”

“Fine by me,” Vanderwood agreed.

“Awesome,” MC jumped down from her barstool, “I’ll see you tonight then.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” he sent her off, “Now, if it’s all the same to you, I do have work to finish up.”

“Ok,” she bowed out, “I get it. I’ll let you get back to it.”

“Thank you.”

MC skipped out of the kitchen with the sudden realization that she had a date with Vanderwood in a few hours. _But he’s finally taking a night off, so we can call that a win, right?_ She walked back into Seven’s living room where Seven had been twiddling his thumbs nervously, waiting for MC to deliver the good news.

“So?” Seven sat straight up as soon as he saw her, “What happened?”

MC leaned over the back of the couch and whispered into Seven’s ear, “Guess who’s got a date with Vanderwood tonight?”

“MC, I love you,” he pulled her the rest of the way over, hugging her tight, “And I owe you.”

“I love you, too,” she melted inside, also while nursing a little bit of back pain. Seven didn’t have much in the line of foresight for that maneuver.

“Wait!” Seven gasped, his eyes all twinkly, “When are you two going out?”

“Seven o'clock,” MC reported, readjusting her seating position, “Why?”

“So,” he glanced down at his watch, “That gives you two hours to get ready, right?”

“I suppose.”

“Can I help you get ready?!” Seven squeaked, about to come out of his skin, “You know what I’m capable of, MC. You know I’ll do a good job.”

“Thank you,” MC kissed his cheek, hoping it would lessen the blow of rejection, “But I can do that myself.”

“Come on,” he begged, “Please?”

“No,” she put her foot down, “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Seven. Slinky black dress. A pair of heels. Anything that makes me look like an undercover assassin. Or like I just killed my husband and this is how I roll up to the funeral.”

“I like the undercover assassin look,” Seven approved, “I think you could pull that off quite nicely. Or Vanderwood will later, if you know what I mean. Wink, wink.”

“That’s not happening,” MC stuck her finger in his chest, “I am not some kind of hussy, Seven. Whatever your weird fantasies are, keep them to yourself. I’m just going to show Vanderwood a good time tonight.”

“Yeah, you are…”

“Not like that!” she gave him a swat to the shoulder, “I swear, Seven…You’re such a pervert sometimes.”

“I’m a pervert a whole lot more than just sometimes,” Seven confessed, “I’m just normally better at hiding it.”

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” MC giggled a little, “If you want, though, I’ll send pictures.”

“Please.”

“I’m going to head home,” she pushed herself up from the couch, “Promise me that you’ll behave yourself tonight while your nanny isn’t here.”

“I will,” Seven promised, “I’ll just be here by my lonesome, watching cartoons.”

“Seven,” MC knew better, “Saeran’s probably going to go out tonight which leaves you here by yourself and you’re going to pick from your extensive collection of JAVs and enjoy them with absolutely no pants on. And there’s also a possibility of you ordering pizza.”

“Actually,” he thought it over, “That does sound like a plan…I don’t have an _extensive_ collection of JAVs! Besides, I’m more of a hentai man myself.”

“Stay classy, sweetheart,” she kissed the top of his head, “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye!”

MC left Seven’s house, still not sure how to feel about going on a date with Vanderwood. _It’s not even really a date. That’s just Seven getting into my head. All we’re doing is hanging out, so Vanderwood can have some time away from Seven’s house to decompress because someone doesn’t know how to take a day off._ Even though MC knew this would be an actual date with Vanderwood, that didn’t mean she couldn’t properly get herself ready. And she just happened to have the right, saucy number for the occasion.

When she was put together, MC realized she wasn’t joking when she told Seven she’d look like an undercover assassin. That black dress from her closet hugged her curves in just the right way, only coming up to just above her knee, and her blood red heels were definitely the murder weapon in her husband’s death. _Two for the price of one. Hell yeah…_ It was no secret she was feeling herself. The only sad part about her wearing such a tight dress was the unsatisfying nature of spinning around and the skirt didn’t fly away with her. Nevertheless, she looked like she could have any man she wanted tonight. _If things don’t go well with Vanderwood, it can’t hurt to have a backup plan._ MC took a quick selfie and sent it to Seven.

Knock, knock.

_Well, here goes nothing._ MC walked over to her door and checked the peephole to see her date on the other side, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Vanderwood got his eyeful, “Damn, MC. We were just going for drinks, but this works. This works very nicely.”

“Thank you,” MC giggled nervously, “Are you sure it’s not too much?”

“Not at all,” he took her hand, “Shall we?”

“Absolutely.”

Just like that, MC and Vanderwood went downtown to a hole in the wall bar that Vanderwood occasionally made an appearance in. Despite Seven’s contrary belief, Vanderwood did know when to take a break. Coming into this bar wasn’t a nightly occurrence, but if he said he wasn’t in here once a week, he’d be lying. 

MC took a look around, not quite sure what to think of it. It wasn’t overly nice, but it wasn’t dirty. The people seemed reputable. The bar seemed well stocked. Yet, MC walked in there looking like a high class escort (or if one were to ask Seven, an undercover assassin). _It’s just for drinks. We’ll throw back a couple and call it a night._

“What’s your poison, MC?” Vanderwood pulled a stool out for her.

“Um,” MC didn’t really think much about it. Normally, whenever she drank, she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. It was usually whatever someone handed her. Not exactly the safest of practices, but it was how she ran her drinking life, “Rum, if that’s alright with you.”

“Straight up?”

“Yes, please,” she nodded. Out of all the alcohols she’s ever had, rum had a special place in MC’s heart. Mostly because it was the first one she ever got drunk from. And it had been her favorite ever since.

“I didn’t take you for a rum type,” Vanderwood gave her a look, ordering rum for her and a cosmopolitan for him.

“And I didn’t take you for cosmos,” MC giggled, “Really?”

“Cosmos are delicious,” he stood his ground, “And people who judge others by what they drink deny themselves joy.”

“I’m not judging,” she let it go, “I saw you more as a whiskey type. Maybe a good wine when the mood strikes.”

“No,” Vanderwood shook his head, “I got hooked on cosmos a long time ago. Before I started working for Seven. I was barely making rent, but I wanted a drink. All I had in my apartment was a bottle of cheap vodka, a shooter bottle of triple sec, and my girlfriend at the time had a UTI, so all we had to mix it with was cranberry juice. And that’s how I accidentally found myself appreciating a cosmopolitan. I had a similar incident with screwdrivers, but I was having a shit morning and dropped vodka in my orange juice. Called it breakfast. What about you? What got you into rum? And straight rum at that?”

“My dad always told me,” MC remembered, “If you’re going to drink, be careful what you mix it with. Because it’s not the alcohol that gives you the hangover, but the sugary shit you mix it with.”

“Your father is a wise man,” Vanderwood tipped his drink to her, “But if we’re being honest, sometimes, the sugary shit definitely adds to it. I won’t judge your drink choices if you don’t judge mine?”

“Deal,” she nodded, “This is weird, right? We’ve only spoken to each other in passing and yet here we are, having a drink.”

“It was bound to happen sometime,” he settled her, “Don’t worry so much, MC. It’s fine. I had intentions of doing this tonight anyway. Just a little later once Seven got to sleep and Saeran left for the night. Then, I’d have my window of opportunity, sneak down here for a drink, and call it a night.”

“But this way,” MC pointed out, “We don’t have to drink alone. It’s only sad if you drink alone.”

“That sounds like it could be another piece of wisdom, courtesy of your dad.”

“It is.”

“Well, MC,” Vanderwood swirled the bright pink liquid around in his glass, getting a better mix in his drink, “Since we’re here and you clearly have your father’s wisdom, could I run some things by you?”

“Sure,” MC wasn’t going to turn him down. _If Vanderwood needs to vent, then love of God, man, vent,_ “What’s on your mind?”

“The job takes a little too much in the toll sometimes, you know?” he took a good, heavy drink, “I don’t just get paid to clean Seven’s house.”

“I know,” she followed suit, taking a sip from her rum, pleasantly surprised by the smoothness. _Damn. Vanderwood splurged on me. Color me flattered,_ “I have a rough knowledge of what you do exactly. And I sure as hell wouldn’t think it was easy.”

“I don’t just have to keep an eye on Seven,” Vanderwood explained, “But now, we have Saeran in the mix, too. And the fact that they’re on opposite schedules is a bigger pain in the ass than I’d like. To tie it all up in a neat, little bow, though? They both worry the shit out of me. I like Saeran. I really do. Even before I met him. Sometimes, when it was quiet in the house, I could hear Seven from his bedroom whimpering in his sleep about Saeran and how worried he was about him. This was before he met you. But then, Saeran came back in his life. Things were so damaged with those two. Those first few months were hard.”

“They were hard for all of us,” MC pointed out, “I could only imagine how hard they were on Seven. After so long without him…”

“I had visions of Saeran killing Seven in his sleep,” he blurted out.

A sudden knot in MC’s stomach tightened like a vice, “What?”

“Yeah,” Vanderwood came clean, “Saeran’s first night in Seven’s house, I stayed there. Because I was afraid Saeran would’ve gone into Seven’s room and killed him. It wasn’t exactly implausible. For a long time, Saeran…Saying he hated Seven would be an understatement. Hell, saying he loathed him would be an understatement. But he’d have ample opportunity to smother Seven in his sleep or stab him repeatedly or sever limbs or maim him in any way, shape, or form. It wouldn’t take much for some of the electrical to overload and catch fire. I do trust Saeran a whole hell of a lot more these days, but then…Not so much. I stayed in the guest room for a solid week just to make sure Seven would be ok. In a way, it was kind of a blessing Saeran spent his nights out and about. I’ve…Never really told anyone about that before. So, if you could keep it between us…”

“Of course,” MC did all she could to keep herself from crying. And from reaching across the table to hug the man with her, “You know Saeran wouldn’t do that now…Right?”

“Yeah,” Vanderwood nodded, “I know. That’s why I can still go home at the end of the day. It feels good to get that off my chest, though. In my line of work, I don’t really get the luxury of emotional wiggle room. If I were to have told that to Seven, he’d be pissed. And something about pissing off the guy that signs your paychecks doesn’t seem like the smartest move to make.”

“That sounds like something my dad would say, too,” she tried her best to make light of this suddenly dark situation. But she had a feeling her efforts were futile, “I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

“Ok,” he let her go. And MC locked herself in the stall for a good, old-fashioned bathroom cry.

_How? How could he have thought such a thing? Saeran’s…Well, I can’t exactly call Saeran sweet, but I don’t think he’d even consider killing Seven now. They’ve both come so far and they’ve both grown together so nicely now. But an even bigger question. How long has Vanderwood been keeping that to himself? How long has that been eating him up inside? And how many more times are we going to have to go for drinks like this just so he can keep his sanity?_ MC pulled herself together and wiped the tears from her eyes. She carefully fixed her makeup and put some drops in her eyes to clear up the redness. This wasn’t her first rodeo. She knew how to take care of herself in situations like this. _No one can tell._

On her way out, MC accidentally bumped into what she thought was a brick wall. Until that brick wall turned around. Immediately, she went into self-preservation mode, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” the man towered over her with a half-full beer bottle in his hand. Going by the smell of him, it wasn’t his first one, “What’s a pretty little thing doing here by yourself?”

“I’m…” MC got nervous, “I’m not alone. I’m here with someone. And I need to be getting back to…”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” he cut her off, putting his massive arm around her tiny frame, “What do you say about you and me going somewhere a little quieter?”

“No, thank you,” she tried to back away slowly, having a feeling that he could only see her if she made sudden movements. 

“Come on,” the man insisted, making up for the lost space, “It’s awfully crowded in here. We should go somewhere private.”

“Or,” MC suggested, holding herself together as best as she could, “I could leave and go back to who I came here with and we can pretend this didn’t happen. That’d be a cool thing to do.”

“No,” he pulled her closer to him, “We’re going to go upstairs and find somewhere quiet where we can make a little noise, if you know what I mean.”

“Vanderwood!” she squealed, having enough of this guy being weird with her.

“What is it, baby?” Vanderwood went into protection mode, immediately pulling her away from the behemoth in front of her.

“I was wondering when we were going home,” MC played along. _I’m not sure when Vanderwood and I started being a couple, but ok. I’ll roll with it._

“Who’s this guy?” the man scoffed, looking Vanderwood over, “Really? You’re with some pretty boy over a real man like me? Honey, you can do better.”

“No,” Vanderwood stepped in, “She’s with me instead of you. And I have no doubt in my mind that pisses you off to no end. Now, instead of you trying to intimidate my wife into sleeping with you, we’re going to go home before this gets ugly. Ready?”

“Yes, please,” MC nodded so hard, she damn near gave herself whiplash.

“What do mean, get ugly?” the man gave Vanderwood a good shove, pushing him away from MC, “You look like you couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag. What makes you think you could take me on?”

“The multiple black belts make me pretty comfortable,” Vanderwood shrugged him off, “And the guys I’ve fought before that were twice your size.”

“Bullshit.”

“Can I show you something?” Vanderwood took out his wallet and showed off a special card he happened to have, “Do you know what this says or should I read it to you?”

“I can read,” the man growled, “You calling me stupid?”

“I’m not calling you stupid,” he clarified, “However, I’m also not a hundred percent sure if your parents are blood related or not.”

The man read Vanderwood’s card closely, “What cereal box did you get this out of? Nobody has a real license to kill. I bet you made that at a Kinko’s.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Vanderwood assured, “I’d say to ask all of the other men I’ve fought in my time, but you can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“That little card should give you your answer,” Vanderwood took MC’s hand, “Now, if you’ll excuse us, it’s getting late and we both have to work in the morning.”

“The girl’s not going anywhere,” the man completely ignored Vanderwood’s warnings, grabbing MC’s wrist tight and yanking her away from him, “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go.”

POW!

Vanderwood delivered a strong left hook to the man’s jaw, effectively shattering it. And MC got in a solid stomp to his groin with her extensively pointy heels. With that being said and done, Vanderwood made damn sure to get MC out of there. Without them being followed. He threw her in the passenger seat of his car and brought her straight home. However, he wasn’t just going to drop her off like that. He’s much more of a gentleman than that. Vanderwood walked MC to her door, keeping a close hold on the knife in his pocket. Just in case.

“Hey, Vanderwood…” MC kept her voice down, “Can I ask you a question? And you answer me honestly?”

“Yes, MC,” Vanderwood confirmed, not even letting her ask the question, “I really do have a license to kill. I did not make that at a Kinko’s. That was real.”

“Ok,” MC let that one go. _Now, I know better than to piss Vanderwood off,_ “Follow-up question.”

“I don’t like to talk about it,” Vanderwood shot her down, “Keeping a tally would only keep me awake at night.”

“That’s not what I was going to ask,” she promised, “Actually, I was wondering why you called me your wife in the bar.”

“Because,” he explained, “I figured that if he thought you were married, he’d back off. Turns out I was wrong. I’m sorry you had to go through that, MC.”

“Thank you for ending it,” MC smiled sweetly, bringing a lightness back to Vanderwood’s heart, “So, are we ever going to do this again?”

“How about next time,” Vanderwood suggested, “We drink at your place? It’d be a hell of a lot safer and the only asshole you’d have to worry about overpowering you is me.”

“And I know better,” she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, “I’d love to. And if you ever need to vent like that again, you’re more than welcome to call me.”

“I might take you up on that,” he smiled a little, “I’ll see you later, MC. Good night.”

“Night,” MC walked inside with a strange feeling in her chest. _If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I just made a friend._ But in her next breath, her phone started going off. When she looked down at the screen, she couldn’t help but shake her head, “Jesus Christ, Seven. I just got home.”

“So?” Seven sang on the other end, completely ignoring the lack of greeting, “How’d it go?”

“Pretty good for the most part,” MC kept the part where Vanderwood considered taking Saeran out to herself, “There was a guy that got a little too friendly on my way out of the bathroom, but Vanderwood took care of it. I think it’s safe to say he and I are buddies now.”

“It went well, but not too well?” Seven crossed his fingers, hoping to all things holy that he still had a shot with MC.

“Yes,” she settled him, “Now, it’s very late. I’m very tired. And I’d like to go to bed.”

“Fine…”

“And you’re not allowed to call Vanderwood and harass him about tonight!” she stipulated.

“Aww!” Seven whined, “But that’s exactly what I was about to do!”

“I know,” MC giggled, “I know you better than you think I do, Seven. Now, let me go to bed.”

“Fine,” he pouted, “Good night, MC.”

“Good night, Seven.”

Click.

As MC laid her head on her pillow, Vanderwood drove back to Seven’s just in time to meet Saeran on his way out the door, “Where have you been?”

“Out with MC,” Vanderwood reported, “If that’s ok with you.”

“Who am I to stop you?” Saeran brushed him off, “Saeyoung just got off the phone with her. You didn’t do anything objectionable, did you?”

“No.”

“Good,” Saeran kept walking, “Good night, Vanderwood.”

“Good night, Saeran.”

_Huh…Maybe the kid’s not so bad after all. Maybe MC was right._ Vanderwood walked into Seven’s house and peeked into his bedroom. Sure enough, there he was, sleeping like a baby. Vanderwood merely shook his head, pulling the blanket over Seven a little better. _You two exhaust me. But dammit, you keep me on my toes. Better playing nanny to you and Saeran than being a walking weapon, I guess._ Vanderwood took one last look at the sleeping angel in his car bed. _Lucky me. I’m not the only nanny you two got, am I? Because she takes pretty good care of me, too._


End file.
